US Militarism

It's not enough simply to rail against the military or militarism, however enlightened it makes one feel. There are powerful reasons why Americans trust our military and continue to join its ranks. Unless these are grasped, efforts to redirect our nation along less militaristic lines will founder on the shores of incomprehension.

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/020408I.shtml

William J. Astore | The Tenacity of American Militarism

William J. Astore, writing for TomDispatch.com, says: "Recent polls suggest that Americans trust the military roughly three times as much as the president and five times as much as their elected representatives in Congress.
"The tenacity of this trust is both striking and disturbing. It's striking because it comes despite widespread media coverage of prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib, the friendly-fire cover-up in the case of Pat Tillman's death, and alleged retribution killings by Marines at Haditha. It's disturbing because our country is founded on civilian control of the military."